


Remade into a Baser Thing

by jocelynfray



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 12:35:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11600772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jocelynfray/pseuds/jocelynfray
Summary: Instead of getting murdered (aka fridged for shock value), Jocelyn is stripped of her runes. Title comes from a quote inThe Bane Chronicles.





	Remade into a Baser Thing

**Author's Note:**

> In this version of season 2 episode 4:
> 
> 1\. Jace's trial hasn't happened yet so he's still in the City of Bones.
> 
> 2\. The demon attack at the Institute didn't happen (Clary, Alec, and Isabelle caught and killed the demon before bringing the body to the Institute).

Victor stood at the podium, looking out at his fellow Shadowhunters, most of whom appeared confused. The addition of Robert and Maryse Lightwood to this meeting did nothing to ease that confusion.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke. "By order of the Council, for the crimes she committed as a Circle member against the Clave and Downworld, Jocelyn Morgenstern will be stripped of her runes." He inwardly winced; he'd never witnessed a Shadowhunter being stripped of their runes, but had heard the horror stories.

Gasps erupted from the audience, and immediately Maryse and Robert felt eyes shift to them; their mere presence at this meeting made it obvious that it was not the real reason.

Victor studied the crowd. Raj was talking animatedly with Alison, both shocked; Damon was whispering something to Eliza, causing her to chuckle under her breath (he'd have reprimand them for their unprofessional behavior later); Alec was notably absent, and Isabelle was whispering something to Clary, no doubt explaining what being stripped of ones runes meant. 

"You can't do that! There hasn't been a trial, and that was _years_ ago! She shouldn't be punished for it now!" Clary objected, still processing what was about to happen to her mom.

"The orders came from the Council Ms. Fairchild, not me; I couldn't stop it if I wanted to. Jocelyn has broken the Accords and murdered no doubt countless Downworlders. The time that has passed since then doesn't matter to the Council."

He walked off the platform, trying to calm his nerves as he headed to his office where Jocelyn was waiting with Brother Jeremiah and Brother Ezekiel. 

Clary and Isabelle followed him, stepping in front of him and blocking his path.

"You can't do this! Please, I know it's the Law but I _just_ got her back, and Izzy said that if she's stripped of her runes, she'll be banished and I'll never see her again!" Clary begged with tears in her eyes.

"Please Victor, just let her try and get a trial, maybe she can win." Isabelle suggested desperately, grabbing Clary's hand to comfort her.

Victor sighed, shaking his head. "I told you, it's out of my hands. And even if she could get a trial, she's _Valentine's wife_. The Council would rule against her, and likely make the punishment public."

"But they can't do that anymore, it was outlawed in 1945." Isabelle quickly pointed out to calm Clary down, guilt weighing on her for not speaking up when Victor had made the announcement.

Clary looked down, nodding to herself before looking back at Victor. "Can I at least say goodbye?" she begged, trying not to cry. _'Emotions cloud judgement'_ she thought, remembering what Jace had taught her. 

Victor nodded. "Yes, but only for a moment." He turned to Isabelle, addressing her. "Get Ms. Fairchild-"

" _Fray._ " interjected Clary.

"Ms. _Fray_ , then." he amended, slightly annoyed at the interruption. "Ms. Lightwood, I trust you will escort her out of my office once she's said her goodbyes with Jocelyn?"

"Of course." Isabelle assured him.

He nodded again, walking towards his office with Clary and Isabelle behind him. "They're with me." he informed the two Shadowhunters guarding the door. He stepped aside, letting Isabelle and Clary enter first, noting that Isabelle stayed just in the doorway, keeping her eyes on Clary.

Jocelyn was in a chair in front of Victor's desk, her wrists shackled to the armrests. The Silent Brothers stood a few feet behind her, one on either side.

"Mom!" Clary rushed towards Jocelyn, not paying any attention to the Silent Brothers. She knelt down and hugged her tightly, tucking her chin into her shoulder as she started to cry, unable to hold back her tears.

"It's okay sweetheart, I'll be okay." Jocelyn murmured, trying to comfort her. She tugged against her restraints in a useless attempt to return the hug.

Clary pulled away from the hug, still sniffling. "No you won't! Izzy told me that if you're stripped of your runes, you'll be _banished_! I'll never see you again! I just got you back, it's not fair!"

"No, honey no don't worry about that." Jocelyn soothed. "That law was made back in the 1800s, before cell phones and the Internet. Do you _really_ think the Clave can monitor all that?"

Clary shook her head, starting to feel a bit hopeful. "No."

"Yeah, that's right. So don't worry! You're not losing me, I just won't be a Shadowhunter anymore. You're never going to lose me, hon." Jocelyn smiled reassuringly, trying to put Clary at ease.

Clary took a deep breath, starting to calm down. "But will I still get to see you in person?" 

Jocelyn nodded fervently. "Absolutely, I promise."

Victor cleared his throat. "Ms. Fray, you have to leave now. The Silent Brothers are ready to perform the ceremony."

"No, I'm not leaving." Clary objected, shaking her head and clinging to Jocelyn's arms.

Jocelyn shook her head frantically, barely concealing her panic at Clary witnessing what was about to happen. "No, Clary. You have to leave, I don't want you to see this. Besides, I need you to call Luke and tell him what's going to happen, he'll take it better coming from you."

"But-"

"No buts, you have to." Jocelyn said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

"...okay." Clary relented, not wanting to argue with her. Not now. She hugged her mom tightly one last time, closing her eyes. "Love you."

"I love you too. Everything is going to be alright, I promise." Jocelyn said, hoping she sounded convincing.

Victor cleared his throat again, and Clary reluctantly ended the hug. She stood up, but couldn't bring herself to move towards the door, not wanting to leave. 

Izzy hurried over to Clary and grabbed her hand, leading her out of Victor's office. 

"It's going to be okay. I'll help you tell Luke if you want." Izzy offered, wanting to do anything she could to help Clary.

Clary nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Iz." She looked back, just catching a glimpse of her mom before Victor shut the door behind them, wincing as she heard him lock it.

Jocelyn looked at Victor, forcing down the fear starting to bubble up in her stomach. "Please, please put silence runes on the walls. I don't want her to have to hear me screaming."

"I'm sorry Jocelyn, you know I can't. It's against the Law, this has to serve as a warning for everyone else." He wished he could; Clary shouldn't have to hear that.

"Then give me something to bite on." she tried again, desperate for anything that might muffle her screams.

"That, I can do." He went behind his desk, grabbing a cloth napkin from one of the bottom drawers. He walked behind her. "I'm going to tie it around your head, is that alright?"

"Yes." She opened her mouth, relieved when the napkin didn't taste like it was dirty. 

He tied it tightly around the back of her head, stepping back after he was finished. 

_"May we begin now?"_ Brother Ezekiel asked, his voice reverberating in Victor's mind.

"Yes, you may begin." he answered aloud, sitting down on the couch. The Law stated that the highest Clave official present had to observe the entire process, so he began to mentally prepare himself for a long 4 hours.

Jocelyn squeezed her eyes shut, gripping the armrests tightly as she tried to prepare herself for the pain. _'You will survive this. It can't be worse than giving birth. Just don't scream, can't let Clary hear-'_

She was yanked out of her thoughts as a blinding pain ripped through her body, shocking her eyes open. She dug her nails into the arms of the chair, squeezing her eyes shut again as she tried to focus on not screaming. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes, pained moans slipping out from behind the gag and everything hurt; she felt like she had needles jammed into her body, pushing deeper and deeper every second.

 _'Please stop, I can't take this anymore! It's too much!'_ she thought, begging the Silent Brothers.

 _"We cannot stop, it is against the Law."_ one of them answered. 

* * *

Clary paced back and forth in Izzy's room, trying to calm herself down when she heard a muffled scream. 

"Mom!" she screamed, running towards the door.

Anticipating this, Izzy quickly planted herself between Clary and the bedroom door. "Clary, there's nothing you can do. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. If you try to stop it, you'll only get yourself locked up in the City of Bones. Jocelyn wouldn't want that."

"She's my _mother_ , Izzy! I can't just stand here while she's being tortured!" Clary objected, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Call Luke. Jocelyn wanted you to tell him what's happening." Izzy reminded her, grabbing Clary's hands and gently leading her to the bed. She sat down, pulling Clary down next to her. 

"Right, yeah." Clary nodded, wiping her eyes. She pulled out her phone and tapped Luke's number.

"Hey kiddo, what's up?" Luke greeted, stifling a yawn.

"Luke, it's Mom. They're stripping her of her runes, a-and it's been going on for a few minutes and I tried to stop them but I couldn't!" She broke off, tears threatening to leak out. "S-she's been screaming a-and begging them to stop, and she's in so much pain and I can't do anything!"

Luke's blood ran cold, barely hearing what Clary said after "they're stripping her of her runes". He shook his head to snap himself out of it, stumbling to find the words to calm her down. "Okay, I'm on my way there. But Clary, you cannot try to stop them. The Shadowhunters take this punishment very seriously, and trying to stop it would get you thrown in the City of Bones."

Clary sniffled into the phone, nodding. "I know, Izzy told me. But what should I do? I can't just do nothing while she's being tortured!"

"That's exactly what you have to do."

"But-"

"No Clary. Listen to me: your mother will survive this, and the last thing she wants is you getting thrown into the City of Bones because of her. That would only hurt her. So you just need to stay out of it for once, and let me handle it." he said, hanging up.

Quickly shoving his phone in his pocket, Luke pulled a shirt on, grabbed his keys and sprinted out to the car.

* * *

He couldn't stop shaking as he drove to Magnus' apartment, praying that he would be there. As soon as the elevator door opened, he hurried to Magnus' door, knocking frantically.

Magnus opened the door, looking as if he'd just been woken up. "Luke? Is something wrong? Is your pack okay?" he asked, stepping aside to let him in.

"It's not my pack." Luke shook his head, walking in. "It's Jocelyn, she's-"

" _Of course_ it is. Why am I not surprised? It's always about Jocelyn or Clary with you." Magnus said with an eyeroll, cutting him off.

"What? That doesn't-they're my family, Magnus!" Luke said, shaking his head in confusion. "Jocelyn is being stripped of her runes, and I need you to help me get her somewhere safe when they throw her out of the Institute."

Magnus laughed bitterly. "Jocelyn Fairchild is a selfish, manipulative Shadowhunter. She _deserves_ to be stripped of her runes. She was Valentine's _wife_ -"

"And I was his parabatai." Luke cut him off, seething. "Look, I don't know where this is coming from, but if it were Alec, I would help you get him to safety." He paused, taking a breath. "Please, Magnus. I just need you to open a portal so I can get outside the Institute protections, and then to my place with Jocelyn. She's going to be very weak, and they'll throw her out as soon as the ceremony is finished."

Magnus' eyes softened. "Okay. But I'm doing this for you, not for her." he said, opening the portal.

"Thank you, Magnus." Luke said, and stepped through the portal, thinking of the Institute.

He was surprised when Magnus came through the portal after him, closing it behind him.

"I saw –well, heard– a Shadowhunter being stripped of his runes once." Magnus explained, looking at Luke. "She'll likely be in pain afterwards, she'll need my help."

Luke smiled briefly. "Thank you, Magnus."

"Anything for a friend." he replied.

Silence fell over them.

Well, almost silence. Luke cursed his enhanced hearing, wincing as he heard Jocelyn's muffled screams through the Glamour. He felt the wolf itching to get out, wanting rip apart whoever was hurting her.

Magnus noticed, and gently put a hand on Luke's shoulder. "It's going to be okay, Luke. She's a survivor."

Luke nodded grimly. "I know. I just hate that the Clave is doing this to her."

"Do you know why?" Magnus asked, curious. He took his hand off Luke's shoulder, satisfied that he'd calmed down a bit.

"No, Clary didn't tell me." He dug his nails into his palms as he heard her screams break off into desperate sobs, moaning in pain. "I know that whatever it is, it's bullshit. They were going to send her to Idris, and then all of a sudden they decide to strip her of her runes instead?" He shook his head. "It doesn't make sense."

"Well," Magnus pointed out, "she _was_ a member of the Circle. Maybe they're punishing her for that."

"Bullshit." Luke snapped. "Robert and Maryse didn't get stripped of their runes, and neither did Hodge. No, if it's related to that, it's because she was Valentine's wife."

He looked at Magnus. "I mean, you said it yourself; she deserves to be stripped of her runes because she's his wife."

"She _is_. And need I remind you that you were both members of the Circle? You followed him at one point, you _believed_ in him." Magnus said.

"She doesn't deserve to be _punished_ for being his wife! She's suffered enough." Luke shook his head, scoffing. "Valentine abused her. Even before he injected himself with demon blood, she would come to me and tell me that he scares her sometimes. That he gets angry and hurts her. And, and he would manipulate her into thinking that it was her fault when he hurt her, that she _made_ him do it."

Magnus was silent, listening. He'd never known that Valentine had abused Jocelyn as well as Jace.

"And he drugged her when she was pregnant with Jace and injected her with _demon blood_. She doesn't know how many times he did that." Luke continued, voice starting to shake. "A-and she never told me he'd done that to her because she was afraid she'd lose me." He gasped for air, fighting back tears. Sinking down to the wet grass, he put his face in his hands, unable and unwilling to hold back his tears anymore.

Magnus sat down next to him, gently putting a hand on his shoulder as he cried. 

After a while, his sobs tempered off. He lifted his head and stared at the Glamour-concealed Institute. "She's been through so much. She shouldn't be punished for who she married." he whispered, wiping his eyes.

Magnus nodded, taking his hand off Luke's shoulder. "Luke..." he began, "I'm sorry for what I said earlier, about her deserving it. I was still angry at her for letting Alec risk his life to find Jace; I never knew that Valentine abused her. You're right, she doesn't deserve to be stripped of her runes."

"Thanks." Luke said, keeping his eyes on the Institute.

* * *

Jocelyn faded in and out of consciousness for the last two hours, vaguely aware of her shackles being unlocked.

"Get up." ordered the far-away voice of Aldertree; she was so warm it was hard to focus.

She tried, but after three unsuccessful attempts to stand, someone grabbed her armpits and yanked her to her feet.

She winced as someone else (probably Aldertree, but it might have been one of the guards from outside) yanked her arms behind her back, slapping handcuffs on her and tightening them to the point where her fingers started going numb. _'What the fuck can I do that would be a danger to them?!? Fuck, I want this rag out of my mouth! I need water, I need water so bad oh my god, everything hurts!'_ she thought, stumbling as she was half shoved, half dragged out of the Institute. She assumed it was the back way because no one was around but she was so disoriented it was hard to tell.

The cool night air helped ground her, she felt slightly less like she was being suffocated. The two guards marching her to the Glamour protections didn't say anything, just shoved her through, officially casting her out of the Shadow World.

She groaned as she hit the ground face-first, getting a mouthful of dirt. She quickly rolled onto her back to avoid suffocating, breathing hard through her nose.

She heard footsteps running towards her. Luke and Magnus were standing above her.

Luke fell to the ground beside her and tugged the gag off her mouth, pulling her head into his lap. "I got you, everything's okay now. I got you." he murmured, keeping his eyes locked on her.

Jocelyn coughed violently, trying to get the mud out of her mouth. She leaned forward, retching into the grass. 

Luke quickly grabbed her hair and held it out of her face, rubbing her back gently. He noticed the cuffs on her wrists, and clenched his jaw. 

Magnus knelt beside them, looking at Jocelyn's cuffs with a frown. He snapped his fingers, and the cuffs fell off her wrists. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out his handkerchief. "Here." he said, handing it to her once she'd stopped vomiting.

She took it gratefully, wiping her mouth. "Thank you, Magnus. And again, I'm sorry about Alec. I shouldn't have-"

"No, don't apologize." Magnus cut her off, holding up a hand. "It wasn't your fault, Alexander made the decision to use the stone." He paused, looking away. "I was wrong to put all the blame on your shoulders. It was unfair of me, and I'm sorry."

She nodded. "I understand, it's okay." she said.

Magnus nodded once, then cleared his throat. He looked at Luke. "I'm taking you both to my place; it's safer there and I have medicine that can help with any pain." he said. 

Luke looked down at Joss. "That okay with you?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but I might need you to help me through the portal."

He smiled. "I can do that."

Magnus stood up and prepared to open a portal, turning his back to the couple to give them some privacy.

Luke stood up, then offered a hand up to Jocelyn. She took it, wobbling a little as she stood and leaning heavily on him.

"Would it be easier if I carried you?" Luke offered, leaning down so he was more level with her to help support her weight. 

"Yeah, that would be easier. I mean, as long as you don't mind." Jocelyn added, not wanting to inconvenience him.

"I don't mind." he assured her, waiting until she'd linked her arms around his neck to pick her up.

"You two ready?" Magnus asked, glancing behind him. 

"Yeah." Jocelyn said, shifting in Luke's arms a little.

"We're ready." Luke confirmed, nodding at Magnus to open the portal.

Magnus opened the portal and stepped through, quickly grabbing a white sheet and covering his couch with it.

Luke and Jocelyn came through a second later, and Magnus quickly closed the portal.

"Put her down on the couch." Magnus ordered, pointing to the couch as he went over to his ingredients, looking for something that would help with the pain.

Luke carefully set Jocelyn down on the couch, crouching beside her. He grabbed some of the couch pillows and put them under her head. "How are you feeling? Do you need anything?" he asked, grabbing onto her hand and gripping it tightly.

"Water, I need water." she coughed, feeling very dizzy and tired. She tried to focus on Luke, but it was so hard. She just wanted to sleep...

"Hey, Joss, hey don't fall asleep on me." Luke said, clapping his hands in front of her face.

She jumped at the noise, her eyes snapping open. "I'm awake, I'm awake!" she assured him hurriedly to avoid another clap. "Don't do that again!" she complained, failing to keep the whine out of her voice.

"Sorry." he apologized, smiling a little at her tone.

Magnus hurried over to them, carrying a cup of foul-smelling liquid. "Here, drink this. It'll help with any lingering pain." he said, handing the cup to Jocelyn.

Jocelyn handed the cup to Luke as she tried to sit up, managing lean her back against the armrest. "My hands are shaking too much, can you hold it for me please?" she asked, looking at Luke.

"Of course." he said. He brought the cup up to her lips and slowly tilted it towards her.

She gulped it down, making an effort not to breath through her nose.

Once it was all gone, Luke handed the cup back to Magnus and helped her lay back down.

"Magnus, thank you so much for the help." she said, looking up at him. "I really appreciate it."

Magnus smiled briefly, nodding in acknowledgement. "You should save your strength." he advised. "Get some rest, and we'll see how you feel in the morning."

She nodded, then looked at Luke. "You should-"

"I'm not going home, don't even think about asking me to." he interrupted, smiling.

She sighed. "I figured you wouldn't. Get some rest though, okay?" She looked at Magnus. "Can you set him up in a guest bedroom or something, please? He'll say he's fine sleeping on the floor, but it gives him a backache."

"Sure." Magnus said, and left to check on the state of his guest bedrooms (but mainly to avoid the inevitable domestic argument over Luke sleeping in said guest bedroom).

"It doesn't-" Luke interjected.

"Yes, it does. Or are you forgetting how you couldn't bend over for 2 weeks after that camping trip?" she reminded him.

"...yeah, you're right." he relented. "But I don't want to leave you."

She sighed, putting a hand on his cheek. "Love, I'm going to be okay. I just need some rest, and so do you. And I can't sleep with you sitting in a chair worrying about me all night. So just, please go and sleep in a guest bedroom. For my peace of mind." 

He leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead. "Fine." he sighed. "But I'm going to check on you periodically, okay? For _my_ peace of mind."

"Okay." she yawned, closing her eyes. "Night, love you." she mumbled, starting to drift off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Shadowhunter that Magnus mentioned in this chapter is a reference to _The Bane Chronicles_ , specifically the story "Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale".


End file.
